Archives

Archive for March, 2006

I WANT MY COUNTERTOP MEAT MACHINE NOW

( food and fnord and tech )

NASA, however, has decided against space burgers — fish or beef — for astronauts on long missions.
This has cut off an important funding source for U.S. researchers interested in cultured meat, said Vladimir Mironov, a tissue engineer at the Medical University of South Carolina.
He said mass production of cultivated meat will be difficult, and expensive, […]

WERE THEY HEADSHOT?

( fnord )

Not joking, just wondering.
The gunman, in his 20s and believed to be a Seattle resident, is reported to have been invited to the house party after attending a “zombie rave” for about 1,000 people, also in Capitol Hill, earlier on Friday night.
As the house party was winding down at 0700 (1500 GMT) on Saturday morning, […]

DREAMY AND LUSH

( music and video )

Shrift, “Lost In A Moment” (Quicktime, via Robot Wisdom)
Shrift website

YOU’RE ALL GROUNDED

( fnord )

… until we see some improvement.
Most federal agencies that play key roles in the war on terror are doing a dismal job of protecting their computers and information networks from hackers and viruses, according to portions of a report to be released by a key congressional oversight committee Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security, which is […]

TYPE USING ONLY YOUR BRAIN

( science and tech and mind )

… after twenty minutes of training:
The machine makes it possible to type messages onto a computer screen by mentally controlling the movement of a cursor. A user must wear a cap containing electrodes that measure electrical activity inside the brain, known as an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal, and imagine moving their left or right arm in […]

BEGUN SIXTY YEARS AGO

( history and music )

Completed last weekend.

The story begins at the outbreak of World War II. Scott was a student at the University of Washington. His roommate was a Japanese-American who was rounded up with other Japanese-Americans and incarcerated by the government as a security threat. So incensed was Scott at the affront to his friend that he refused […]

HOW TO SURVIVE A KILLER BEE ATTACK

( howto and bio )

1. RUN away quickly. Do not stop to help others.
Yes, there’s more:
What to do if attacked by Africanized honey bees (USDA, with a map of the spreading bee population and a guide for rescue personnel on how to subdue bees)
Another USDA page with links to more info on killer bees
Tangent: chimps in Africa make and […]

FOUR ON THE FLOOR

( science )

Professor Humphrey said this could be the way that humankind’s direct ancestors walked.
Hands which have kept the fingers dextrous would also have been able to manipulate tools, a key development which influenced the evolution of the human body and intelligence.
“I think it’s possible that what we are seeing in this family is something that does […]

PSA: YOU CAN BUY THIS RIGHT NOW

( food )

Bacon Brittle (Grateful Palate, via J-Walk)

NAH, PEOPLE JUST STARE

( politics and science and mind )

…because they can’t immediately pigeonhole us.

The Jan/Feb issue of Psychology Today magazine included an article titled Mixed Race, Pretty Face? It was all about—you guessed it—hybrid vigor. But specifically, it was about the fact that Asian/white mixed people are supposedly the most beautiful of all.
Half Asian is the new white? (Mixed Media Watch)
Or go directly […]